


That one time on the Solstice

by Silverkleptofox



Category: Akatsuki no Yona
Genre: Brotherly Bonding, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, circus performance, minor feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-30
Updated: 2016-01-30
Packaged: 2018-05-17 03:11:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5851774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silverkleptofox/pseuds/Silverkleptofox
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Happy Hungry Bunch stumbles into a small town's Winter Solstice celebration, and Zeno and Jaeha become closer.</p>
            </blockquote>





	That one time on the Solstice

It was a bright but chilly day as the Happy Hungry Bunch wandered into a small town in the wind territory. They had been traveling in the mountains for days and were low on supplies, but it seemed this town was prosperous and Yun was excited to do some trading. He sent Kija, Yona, and Hak to search for lodging for the night while he and the others traded in the marketplace. 

"This town seems very lively today, doesn't it?" Jaeha mused, looking at the town center, where there was a large pile of wood and a set of poles in a ring with streamers of colored fabric. 

"Hmmm." Zeno twisted his lips. "Say, Ryokuryuu, what day is today?" He asked.

"Well we're near the end of the year, I know that much..." The green dragon muttered back. He had lost count of the date since they had been on the road. 

"It's December 21st." Yun sighed. 

"Ah!" Zeno jumped with a smile. "That explains it then! This town is celebrating the solstice!" He said with a twirl. 

"The wha..?" Jaeha muttered. Shinha tilted his head.

Yun placed his hand on his forehead. Curse his luck to be traveling with uneducated companions. "It's the shortest day of the year and the longest night, it signals the first day of winter." 

Zeno nodded. "It looks like this turn is going to have a bonfire- they'll probably keep it running all night, but some places keep it hot for twelve days. Maybe they'll have a feast!" 

"Let's hope so." Jaeha muttered. Shinha nodded as his stomach growled. Zeno laughed at the both of them and burrowed himself under Shinha's fluff to stave off the chilly wind. 

"You're here for the festival?" Came a voice from their right. It was a young man, dressed in simple clothes with a bit of decoration- probably the best thing he owned. He was behind the counter of a stall selling prayer strips and sticks with symbols carved in them. "My name is Dao, these are for the fire tonight. Would you like one?"

Yun examined the wares. "Yes, the... Solstice right? It's our first time. How does this celebration usually go?"

"Well!" Dao clapped. "We have food and entertainers until sunset, when we light the solstice fire. That's what these sticks are for- you write your wish on one and throw it into the fire. Then we have a great feast and everyone eats."

"Everyone?" Zeno piped up.

"Yup!" Dao beamed, coming out from behind his stall. "Everyone! Even you weary travelers, provided you take part in the festivities. It's a celebration of togetherness!" He exclaimed, throwing his arms around the shoulders of Yun and Zeno. "We're going to have roasted potatoes and turnips..." Dao rambled. Yun sighed in exasperation. Zeno tensed up and his smile fell. Dao was completely oblivious. Shinha tilted his head slightly, noticing Zeno's discomfort but not understanding. But Zeno had his smile back on and was laughing awkwardly a second later. "... And there will be fireworks and dancers and..."

"I'm sure it will be wonderful." Jaeha said smoothly, giving Yun and Zeno the opportunity to shirk Dao's overly-friendly antics. "But if we are going to perform tonight, we need to get cleaned up." He smiled coolly.

"You're performers?!" Dao's face lit up.

"Ah, yes. I play the erhu and my companions here do sword dancing and..."

"Acrobatics." Zeno interrupted. Jaeha raised an eyebrow but didn't comment on it. "Yes." Jaeha continued. "So we really must be going."

"Of course, sirs." Dao bowed. "I'll see you at the bonfire tonight!" He called to them as they walked off and he returned to his stall.

\-----

They met up with Yona, Hak, and Kija soon after. The princess' group had found two rooms for them at the town inn, and they met up there to rest before the night and compare notes. 

"So we get free food if we perform tonight?" Hak said suspiciously.

"Yup! The lad can take the night off from cooking if we entertain!" Zeno beamed from his spot on the floor. 

"I already committed to playing, and Zeno apparently is an acrobat." Jaeha said sarcastically. Zeno just nodded, offering no further explanation. 

"I suppose I could dance again..." Yona said softly.

Kija grasped her hand. "Miss Yona, I would be honored to see you dance once more." He said firmly. Yona blushed and smiled. "I'll do it then!" 

"Shinha, I wouldn't ask you to perform..." Yona began.

"I will fight Hak." Shinha said. Hak spat out the tea he was drinking, getting it on his robe. "You really don't have to."

Shinha shook his head. "I can go my part. We will spar." 

Hak looked to Yona, but she just shrugged. "Okay then, we'll spar. That's five of us performing. Think that will be enough?"

"It should be." Yun replied. "Besides, Kija has no entertaining talents and he shouldn't show his right hand, and I'm not one for the stage. It'll have to do." Kija seemed defeated, but he knew Yun was right. He was a fighter, not a clown. 

"Well then we better go practice..." Hak groaned, setting down his teacup. Shinha nodded and got up to follow him.

Jaeha stood as well. "Come on Zeno, I want to see what you've got before tonight. Maybe we can work together."

"Yay! Ryokuryuu and Ouryuu will do a duet!" He beamed before following Jaeha outside. 

\-----

Zeno and Jaeha found a clear, open space just outside of the town limits to practice in. Hak and Shinha took one half of the field to put together a sequence of moves that would look impressive, but not be too dangerous. They didn't want to actually fight each other after all. Jaeha and Zeno took the other half. Jaeha oiled his bow while Zeno walked on his hands to warm up. 

"So. Acrobatics." Jaeha said, turning the string on his erhu. "Why am I not surprised?"

Zeno chucked as he let his legs fall into a backbend and then stood. "Zeno has had a lot of time to practice many things." He clapped the dirt from his hands.

"Is there anything you can't do?" Jaeha quipped.

"There is plenty Zeno can't do!" He said with a smile, but it didn't reach his eyes.

Die, for one. Jaeha thought with a scowl. He cursed himself and his wretched mouth. Ever since he had discovered Zeno's power, and the lengths the yellow dragon would go to in order to protect their little ragtag group, Jaeha had felt strangely protective of the little ball of sunshine. Which reminded him...

"Say, Zeno..." He asked, his voice serious.  
"Hm?" Zeno looked over at him and tumbled over to sit next to Jaeha.  
"Earlier today, when we met that hawker, you seemed very uncomfortable."  
Zeno's eyes slid to look at the ground, his perpetual smile leaving his face for the moment. Jaeha had seen Zeno's 'serious face' a few times, but he still wasn't used to it.  
"It's nothing, nothing..." Zeno said softly. "He just surprised me when he grabbed Yun and me."  
Jaeha furrowed his brow. "You're usually the first one to bear-hug someone or offer them a piggyback ride, why was that kid different?"

Zeno sighed deeply and folded his hands in his lap."Touch means a lot to me..." He began.  
"After I left the castle, I spent a lot of time alone. For a while I forgot what it felt like to touch another human being. I hated it." Jaeha gasped quietly. For Zeno to say it was a long time, he meant a long time.  
"But eventually, I learned how much a such a simple thing could mean to someone. Someone very special showed me. A gentle hand, a hug, contact... It can help someone so much. The sick and the elderly, especially. So I always offer to carry them. And when the Miss was born and I visited all you young dragons, and I saw how lonely you were, it broke my heart. None of you had known a kind hand. And though I couldn't intervene, I vowed to myself that when we all met, even if you all were old men, I would hold you tight and never let go." Zeno's hair covered his face. "But that child, selling sticks, Zeno doesn't know him. Zeno was just startled is all."

Jaeha was silent for a minute, letting Zeno decompress as he collected his thoughts. He picked up his bow and pulled it along the string of his erhu, testing the pitch.  
"I can understand not wanting to be touched by someone you don't know." He said as he played a few bars. "I know what an unkind hand feels like." Zeno knew what he meant, but didn't say anything. "I vowed when I was young that I would never lay hands on a friend that did not want it. Especially a lady." He added with a flourish. Zeno smiled at that. "And if that boy comes near you again, I'll just have to grab you first." He added defiantly. Zeno chuckled and Jaeha reached over to ruffle his golden hair.  
"Well, we should really get to practicing." Jaeha groaned, picking up the erhu, he gave it a quick fiddle. "What sort of tricks can you do to this?" 

\-----

Evening fell and the Happy Hungry Bunch found themselves in the town center, dressed up and ready to go. Yona was up first, performing a variation of the sword dance she had come up with when they traveled to Kai. It was too cold for the outfit she once wore, so she made do with her regular clothes and an embroidered shawl she had borrowed from one of the village ladies. The dance was as spectacular as Hak and the others had remembered, and the crowd gave it a roaring cheer when it was over.  
Next up were some local boys doing a puppet show in costume, and then they called for Zeno and Jaeha. 

Jaeha warmed up his fingers as Zeno walked out juggling three apples. He seemed to be struggling with keeping them all aloft, but it was just a ruse to keep the crowd entranced. He threw them all high into the air as Jaeha played a high note, then tumbled forward and caught them to continue juggling. Then he repeated the trick, but this time ended up standing on his hands as he caught the apples with his feet and one with his teeth. He smiled and the crowd clapped again. He kicked the fruit high, fell into a backbend, and caught them as he muscled his way back to standing. Then he tossed two apples to Shinha and bit into the other apple, holding it in his mouth as he did back-handsprings in a circle around the performance area. He paused for applause, and tossed the bitten apple into the air. He did a front flip, and caught it, then tossed it again. Then a back flip, then two front flips, then three, tossing it higher each time and catching it as it fell. He looked at Kija and nodded- it was time for the final move, as they had practiced. He tossed the apple as high as he could, then ran to Kija, who had his hands laced together. Zeno stepped onto his hands and jumped as Kija lifted with his dragon strength. Zeno went flying high into the air, tucked into a backflip, and rotated at least three times before landing- hard. One of the cobblestones was loose and his ankle snapped underneath the force of his return to earth. He stifled a yelp and braced his hand on the ground so as not to fall, and Jaeha played a few high notes just in case. In his other hand...

He caught the apple. 

The crowd cheered.

Zeno stood and walked back to where the rest of the bunch were sitting, ignoring the pain on his ankle- it would heal soon enough anyway. 

"Zeno that was amazing!" Yona exclaimed as he sat.  
"Ah, well Zeno couldn't have done it without Ryokuruu's music and Hakuryuu and Seiryuu's help..." He grinned. 

More quietly, Yona added "Does your ankle hurt much?" She grabbed his hand. Zeno squeezed it gently. "Yes, but it will heal soon, do not worry yourself about it." Yona nodded and sat back down beside Kija. Jaeha came and sat next to Zeno as Shinha and Hak got up to wow the crowd with their daring feats of swordsmanship. 

"You alright?" Jaeha whispered.  
He had seen Zeno limping slightly.  
"It's not life-threatening, so it won't heal immediately. But it should be fine by tomorrow. It would seem strange to limp away and then be find tomorrow, however, so Zeno has to pretend nothing is wrong." He whispered back. Jaeha nodded and settled in to watch Hak and his brother fight. 

Shinha's fluff flew behind him and he dodged and parked Hak's glaive. Hak spun the weapon in big, showy circles that would be useless on the battlefield but we're very entertaining to the crowd. He raised his eyebrows and Shinha came running at him. Hak held his glaive horizontally and Shinha stepped on it, doing a backflip as he brought his sword down in a blow that would've cleaved Hak in half had he still been there.  
"Hey that was my move!" Zeno shouted playfully. They continued for another minute before ending in a draw, their blades at each other's throats in a dramatic pose. Shinha came and sat near Zeno's other side, huffing slightly from exertion. They sat through another performance before the town elder lit the great bonfire and the serving men came out of the town hall with plate of food.  
Everyone had contributed what extra food they had to the feast, including Yona. She had shot a young boar earlier that day and gave it to the elder on behalf of the Happy Hungry Bunch.

They calmly awaited their turn to be served when Shinha tapped Zeno on the shoulder. He tilted his head behind them, and Zeno noticed that Dao, the handstand hawker from earlier, was headed straight for them. His spine straightened just a bit. 

"Hey mister, you were great!" The young man beamed. "Those moves you did, you must be really flexible!" Zeno felt Jaeha's arm quietly come up around his shoulders, a physical barrier and a comforting grounding."Could you show me how to do that sometime?" 

"Zeno needs his rest." Jaeha smiled none-too sweetly. "He's a young boy, after all, and such a performance takes a lot out of him." Dao's eyes widened at the glint in Jaeha's eyes and he stepped back. "My... My apologies, I'm sure you must be exhausted. Your performance truly was spectacular! Excuse me." He gave a small bow and walked hurriedly away.

"A growing boy?" Zeno lifted an eyebrow at Jaeha.  
"It's plausible." Jaeha shrugged.  
Zeno smacked his arm playfully. "You were probably too harsh on him. He's just an innocent kid, after all."

"Kid's gotta learn sometime." Jaeha quipped. Zeno smiled and learned into Jaeha's arm. It was comfortable, an embrace between brothers. 

Soon Kija and Yun came over with food for everyone, and they all are their fill of the smorgasbord the town had to offer. When they got up to leave, Yun noticed Zeno was limping and Kija insisted on helping him, much to Zeno's protests of keeping if hidden since it would be healed by morning. So Zeno ended up piggybacking on Kija back to the inn that night. 

As the dragons and Hak lay together in a pile on an actual bed, Zeno reflected on the importance of a kind touch between friends, and promptly proceeded to snuggle into Shinha's fluff while curled up against Jaeha's back.

He really would hold them tight and never let them go.

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to be very feelsy about Zeno's thoughts on touch, inspired by Taotrooper on Tumblr, but it didn't feel right for Zeno. Also I had recently been practicing trapeze at circus school and it turned into this.


End file.
